Atomizer pump



F. E. BROWN ATOMIZER PUMP Filed Feb. 10, 1964 July 13, 1965 I N VENTOR.'

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lstroke of the pump plunger.

3,194,447 ATMIZER PUMP Frank E. Brown, Glendale, Calif., assigner to The De Viihiss Company, Toledo, hio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Feb. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 343,646 7 Claims. (Cl. Z22- 321) This invention relates to a new and improved atomizer pump for use with sm-all portable containers for dispensing perfumes, insecticides, deodorants, medicaments and the like,

The invention comprises an improved piston-type atomizing pump which maybe secured in the opening of a portable container for perfumes, insecticides, deodorants, medicaments and the like and which may be, because of its relatively sim-ple structure, fabricated from mold-able synthetic materials which are relatively inexpensive so that the atomizer pumps of lthis invention may be mass produced and sold las dispos-able item-s .along with such containers.

Manually Iactuated atomizer pumps associated with a portable container for dispensing liquids such as perfumes, medicaments and insecticides are well known in the art and are commonly used by manufacturers because of their convenience and simplicity of ope-ration. However, due to the fact that it is desirable to provide disposable atomizer pumps which are sold along with the containers of perfumes, medicaments, etc., it is necessary that such atomizing dev-ices be manufactured of inexpensive ma-terials and be of a simple construction. Due to the necessity of `an inexpenesive and `simple construction and due to the fact that such disposable atomizers are used with portable containers subject to being tipped or inverted, there are several disadvantages in atomizer pumps presently manufactured which have rendered them unsatisfactory for several reasons.

Because of the disposable type atomizer pumps of the` instant invention are rassociated with portable containers for liquid such as perfumes and insecticides, and because it is desir-able to Aassemble the containers and pumps at the factory prior to shipping, it is imperative that such pumps be provided with a no leak feature, so that the contents within the container cannot leak out through the atomizer orifice when the containers and pumps are inverted or tipped during shipment or handling. One solution has been to provide an expansible chamber pump construction wherein the pump cap and a valved piston plunger may be depressed and `secured down to provide a seal to prevent leakage through the atomizer orifice. This solution, while providing a no leak pump, has been somewhat unsatisfactory from a commercial standpoint since it requires that additional threads be provided for securing the pump cap and plunger in a depressed position. It also necessitates extra inconvenience for the ultimate user of the atomizer who must unscrew the cap to allow the pump plunger and piston to rise prior lto using the atomizer. It is further necessary for the user to resecure the cap .and plunger in its depressed position in order to again render the pump leak proof.

A second disadvantage of the atomizer pumps known in the prior art is the necessity of providing a one-Way check Valve 'between the discharge outlet and the pump chamber to prevent air from being drawn from the atmosphere into the pump chamber during the upward In the usual construction United States Patent O lgl-,dii Patented Juiy 13, 1%65 ICC of a non-aerosol type atomizing pump, the liquid from the container is drawn into the pump chamber by the upward motion of the pump plunger which creates a partial vacuum within the pump chamber. Without the provision of a check valve between the disch-arge outlet .and the pump chamber, the upward motion of the pump plunger will draw air from the `atmosphere into the pump chamber during the entire upward stroke of the plunger and thus an insufficient amount or no `amount of liquid from the container will be drawn into the pump chamber. Therefore, the constructions of the prior art have provided a one-Way check valvesuch as a ball valve to prevent air from iiowing .into the pump chamber. This, of cou-rse, has added to the expense of manufacturing prior art atomizing pumps.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive atomizer pump of the reciprocating piston type wherein leakage of liquid from the container to the pump outlet is impossible when the plunger is in its non-depressed upright position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a `simple and inexpensive atomizer pump capable of atomizing a fixed charge `of liquid with each downward stroke 0f the plunger, wit-hout the provision of a check valve between the pump chamber and the discharge outlet.

It is .still another object of this invention to provide an improved atomizer pump which is capable of the complete atomization of a predetermined charge of liquid due to the compression of a limited amount of air with such liquid within the pump chamber prior to release of the liquid to the discharge nozzle.

Further objects and features of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection With the accompanying drawings lin which:

FG. 1 is a longitudinal section view of the atomizer pump of this invention shown with the plunger in its u permost position;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section view, identical to FIG- URE 1, but showing the plunger in its lowermost position; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. l showing the conguration of the pump chamber of the atomizer pump of this invention.

FIGURE l shows an embodiment of this invention which includes a body portion 10 comprising vpump barrel 11, a threaded cap 12 and an upwardly extending, annular ange 13. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the pump barrel 11, the threaded cap 12 and the annular iiange 13 are unitary and molded in a single operation. However, they may be separate parts and other methods of sealingly engaging the atomizer pump with the iiuid container may be utilized.

The threaded cap 12 is adapted to be threaded upon the neck of the container, as illustrated, and an annular seal 14 is provided to prevent leakage. The lower end of the Vpump barrel 11 which extends into the liquid container may be of such length as to extend to the bottom of the liquid container or may be connected to a tube 15, as shown, which extends to the bottom of the liquid container. l

A piston 16 is enclosed within an internal cylinder 17 `extending axially in the pump barrel 11. A plunger 18 is connected to the upper face of the piston 16 and extends upwardly above the top of the annular Flange 13 to form a seat 19 for a plunger cap 21D. The plunger cap vbypass 36,v` as shown in FIG. 1.

contains a discharge nozzle 21 and, in theembodiment shown vin FIG. 1, is provided with a top surface 22 which supports a housing 23. The housing 23 is provided to protect the plunger cap 211 land the discharge nozzle 21 and to provide a more attractive appearance to jditional bearing surface within the internal cylinder 17 which aids in keeping the piston 16 and internal cylinder 17 in axial alignment. At the junction of the enlarged diameter portion 25 and the narrow body portion of the plunger 18 is an annular flange 26 which contacts an l annular stop ring 27 when the piston 16 and plunger 13 are in their upper position, as shown in FIGURE l. The

stop ring 27 is provided with a radially extending ring 28 which is pressed into a corresponding annular recess Y '29 in the lower portion of the annular tiange 13 of the body portion 113. A coil spring 31) is circumjacent the upper portion of the plunger 18 and bears against the llowerl surface of the plunger cap 20 and the upper surface of the stop ring 27 to urge the piston 16 and plunger 18 to their upper position as shown in FIGURE 1.

The plunger 13 contains an axial fluid passage 31 which extends from the upper end of the plunger 1S, where it connects with the discharge orifice 21, to the piston 16.

The piston 16 contains an axial recess 32 which receives the lower end of the plunger 1S. The recess 32 in the piston 16 has a radially extending annular groove 33 into which is snapped its male counterpart on the end of the plunger 18. Although the piston 16 and plunger 18 are Yshown in FIG. l as two pieces which are snapped `together prior to insertion in the pump barrel 11, it is to-be understood that they may be integrally formed from one molding. However, as discussed below, it is preferred that the piston 16 and the plunger 18 be separate pieces.

The piston 16 contains at least one radial iluid passage 34 which extends from the outer bearing surface of the piston 16 to its center where it connects with the fluid ypassage 31 in the plunger 18.

The portion of the pump barrel 11 immediately below the piston 16, when the piston 16 is in its uppermost position as shown in FIGURE 1, contains a fluid vchamber 35 which has the same diameter as the internal cylinder 17. A portion of the wall of the iluid chamber v35 is radially enlarged, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to form a uid bypass 36 which extends downwardly from the lower edge of the piston 16 when the piston V16 is in its uppermost position.

The iluid chamber 35 terminates in a tapered recess 37 which has its smaller end toward the bottom of the body portion 10 and in communication with the tube '15. The larger diameter of the tapered recess is smaller `than the diameter of the fluid chamber 35, as shown inl FIGS. 1 and 2, which provides an annular bearing surface 38.

An annular stop member 39 rests upon the bearing surface 38 and is held in place by friction between its outer surface and the walls of the fluid chamber 35. The stop member 39 is provided with a radial notch4ii -on its lower surface which allows the passage of liquid vfrom the tapered recess 37 to the lower endrof the fluid The stop member 39 preferably has one or more radial notches 40Y on both 4its upper and lower surfaces. By providing the radial notches 40 on both surfaces, it -is impossible for the annular stop member to be inserted backwards or upside- Ydown when the atomizri'ng pump is being assembled.

The annular stop member 39 serves two functions. It

i acts as a stop member for determining the lowest position of the piston 15. As seen in FIGURE 2, the lower surface of the piston 16 strikes the upper surface of the annular stop member 39, thus limiting travel in the downward direction of the piston 16 and the plunger 18.

The secon-d purpose of the` annular stop member 39 is to provide partial closure of the tapered recess 37 in which a ball valve41 is enclosed.' The ball valve 41 has a diameter lcrger than the smaller diameter of the tapered recess and therefore acts as a one-way check valve to control the liow of liquid from the container to the duid chamber 35. The function ofthe ball valve 41 is explained in detail in the following description of the op- Aeration'of the above described atomizer pump.

FIG. 2 shows the atomizer pumpY with the piston 16 in its lowest position after completion of a downward' pumping stroke. When the roperator releases downward pressure vfrom the toplof the housing 23, the spring. 3Q causes the plunger 18 and the piston 16 to begin their upward or retraction stroke.,Y As shownin FIGURE 2, during the rst portion ofthe upward stroke, Vthe radial fluid passage 34 in the piston .16 is in communication with the fluid'bypass 36 in the iluid chamber 3,5, so that a partial vacuum created in the iluid chamber 35 by the upward movement of the piston .16 draws air from the atmosphere through the discharge orifice V21 into the uid chamber 35. At the same time, vthe partial vacuum in the lluid chamber 35 causes the ball valve 41 to unseat and causes liquid from the reservoir toow upwardly Vinto the fluid chamber 35. V

As soon as the piston 16 has risen to the position WhereY the radial fluid passage 34 is above the upper end of the fluid bypass 36 and thelower land 42 of the piston 16 has covered the bypass 36, no more air can bedrawn into the fluid chamber 35 from the discharge nozzle 21, and

the remainder of the upward travel of the piston 16 draws only liquid from the supply tube 15 past the ball valve 41 into the fluid chamber 35 until the piston 16 reaches its uppermost position as shown in FIGURE 1.V

At this point, the fluid chamber. 35 is partially lled with liquid and contains a charge of air as previously explained. The ballvalve 41 has seated in the tapered recess 37 so that the liquid and air in the tiuid chamber 35 cannot pass downwardly into the container. The lower land 42 ofthe piston 16 is above the upperend ofthe fluid bypass 36l so that no liquid Yor airV canescape from thefluid chamber 35 when the pump and container are inverted or tipped.

Upon initiation of the next downward stroke ofthe piston 16, the lower land 42 of the piston, during its first increment of movement, will .compress the air within the fluid chamber 35 until the lower land 42; clears the upper end of the fluid bypass 36 and the radial huid passage 34 in the piston `16 cornes into communication Vwith the upper end of the bypass 36. -At this point, the sudden Vrelease of pressure upon the air and liquid in the fluid 31 and tothedischarge nozzle 21 where itV will be discharged as a line mist. At the end of the downward stroke of the piston 16, the pressure within the uid chamber 35 and bypass 36 will be equal to that of the atmosphere and therefore they subsequent upward movement of the piston 16 will create a partial'vacuum within Vthe uid chamber 35 which will causerair to be drawn through the dischargey nozzler21 and a new charge of liquid to be drawn upwardly past the unseated ball valve 41' as previously explained.

In normal operation, therewillbe a small amount of air leakage past theV seal 14 in the threaded cap'12 'to prevent the buildup of a partialvacuum in the liquid container. However, during a period of'frrequent use, this air leakage may not be sullicient to compensate for the loss of liquid from the container and a partial vacuum may build up which would cause the ball valve 41 to remain seated and thus render the pump inoperable. To correct this condition, a vent 43 in the pump barrel 11 admits air to the container through the space between the plunger 25 and the cylinder wall 17 when the piston 16 is depressed as shown in FIGURE 2. When the piston 16 is in its upper-position, as shown in FIGURE 1, the upper land 44 of the piston 16 closes the vent 43 to prevent liquid from the container from leaking out if the atomizer pump and container are inverted or tipped.

The numerous advantages of an atomizer pump construction in accordance with this invention are readily apparent. Due to the fact that a limited amount of air is drawn into the uid chamber 35 by the upward motion of the piston 16, it is possible to pressurize the air and liquid within the iluid chamber 35 during the initial downward motion of the piston 16, thus preparing the air and liquid mixture for instant atomization when the lower land 42 of the piston passes the upper end of the Huid bypass 36. As previosuly explained, prior art atomizer pumps which included a ball check valve between the discharge orice and the uid chamber prevented all air from entering the uid chamber since the ball valve would seat and seal the air passage as soon as the piston started to rise. Without the presence of at least a small quantity of air, precompression of the charge in the fluid chamber is impossible since liquids of the type to be atomized are substantially incompressible.

Another advantage of the atomizer pump of this invention is that the amount of precompression which is necessary to efliciently atomize or break up the liquid within the liuid chamber 35 may be varied by adjusting the quantity of air which is to be drawn into the fluid chamber 35 by the upward stroke of the piston 16, and by adjusting the length of the downward stroke of the piston 16 prior to the time the lower land 42 passes by the upper end of the iluid bypass 36. The charge of air drawn into the fluid chamber 35 and the degree of precompression of this air may be varied by adjusting the length of the lower land 42 of the piston 16. By fabricating the piston 16 and plunger 18 as separate units, it is possible t0 vary the design of the piston 16 to accomplish the desired variations in compression and air intake while keeping the remaining parts of the pump standard. Therefore, a series of atomizer pumps having different atomization characteristics may be manufactured using pistons of various dimensions and with all other parts lbeing interchangeable.

It will be apparent that various changes and modifications can be made in the specic details discussed above and described in the example without departing from the spirit of the attached claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for dispensing liquid in the form of a nely atomized mist comprising an elongate hollow barrel portion having a lower end in communication with a reservoir of such liquid and an upper end open to atmosphere, a fluid chamber intermediate said upper and lower ends, a piston within said uid chamber, said piston having an upper land, a lower land and a radial fluid passage between said lands, a plunger extending from the upper surface of said piston to a point above said upper end of said barrel portion to provide means for depressing said piston, said plunger containing a fluid passage connecting said radial uid passage in said piston to a discharge nozzle on said plunger above said barrel portion, a rst stop means dening the upper position of said piston, a second stop means defining the lower position of said piston, resilient means urging said piston upwardly against said irst stop means, a liuid bypass in said iluid chamber having its lower end in valved communication with said liquid reservoir and its upper end terminating below said lower land of said piston when said piston is in its upper position such that no fluid can pass said piston when said piston is in an upper position, said fluid bypass communicating with said radial uid passage in said piston when said piston is depressed to cause such fluid to flow upwardly through said plunger to said discharge nozzle, and a valve between said lower end of said uid bypass and said vliquid reservoir preventing return flow of liquid from said fluid chamber to said reservoir -but allowing forward ow past said valve.

2. The liquid dispensing device of claim 1 wherein said valve comprises a ball valve which sealingly engages a valve seat in said barrel portion preventing the return of liquid from said fluid chamber to said liquid reservoir during the downward movement of said piston.

3. The liquid dispensing device of claim 1 wherein said radial fluid passage in said piston is below the upper end of said Huid bypaass when said piston is in its lower position such that the initial upword movement of said piston causes air from the atmosphere to be drawn into said uid chamber until said radial fluid passage is above said upper end of said fluid bypass and wherein said lower land of said piston is spaced above the upper end of such fluid bypass when said piston is in its upper position such that the initial downward movement of said piston causes said air and liquid in said duid chamber to be compressed until said radial fluid passage in said piston comes into communication with said lluid bypass in said fluid chamber.

4. A liquid dispensing device comprising a barrel portion having an internal cylinder formed therein, a piston within said internal cylinder, a tubular plunger connected to said piston and extending above said barrel toconstitute means for depressing said piston and to provide a fluid passage from said piston to a discharge nozzle mounted upon said plunger, said piston having a radial iluid passage intermediate its upper and lower surfaces, said radial iluid passage connected to said iluid passage in said tubular plunger, stop means limiting the upward movement of said piston, resilient means urging said piston upwardly against said `stop means, a radially enlarged fluid bypass in the bearing surface of said internal cylinder extending from the lower portion of said internal cylinder and terminating below the lower surface of said piston when said piston is in an upper position to prevent passage of such liquid to said nozzle when said piston is in its upper position, and a check valve controlling the flow of liquid from a liquid reservoir to said internal cylinder, said valve being open during the upward movement of said piston, said upward movement causing air from said outlet and liquid from said reservoir to till said cylinder, and said valve being closed during the downward movement of said piston, said downward movement causing said liquid and air in said cylinder to move upwardly through said fluid bypass, through said lradial uid passage in said piston, through said tubular plunger and to be discharged through said discharge nozzle.

5. The liquid dispensing device of claim 4 wherein the radial fluid passage of said piston is spaced a predetermined distance below the upper end of said uid bypass when said piston is in its lower position such that the initial upward movement of said piston will cause a predetermined charge of air to be drawn through said discharge nozzle into said internal cylinder until said radial uid passage is above the upper end of said uid bypass.

6. The liquid dispensing device of claim 4 wherein the radial Huid passage of said piston, when in its upper position, is spaced a predetermined distance above the upper end of said fluid bypass such that the initial downward movement of said piston causes a predetermined pressure increase in said liquid and air in said internal cylinder prior to the passage of said liquid and air through said radial fluid passage in said piston when it comes into communication with said uid bypass.

7. `The liquid dispensing device of claim 4 -Wherein the radial fluid passage of said piston is spaced a predetermined distance below the upper end of said fluid bypass when said piston is in its lower position such'that the initial yupward movement of said piston will cause a predetermined chargef'ofk air to be drawn through said discharge nozzle into said internal cylinder until said Yradial uid passage is above the upper end of said fluid bypass, and wherein the radial fluid passage of said piston,

when in its upper position, is spaced a predetermined 10 distance above the upper end of said fluid bypass such that the initial downward movement of said piston causes a predetermined pressure increase in said liquid and air in said internal cylinder prior to the passagevpof said liquid and air through said radial uid passage in said piston when it comes into communication with said iuid bypass. v

No references cited.

EvERET'r w. KIRBY, Primary Examm'er. 

1. A DEVICE FOR DISPENSING LIQUID IN THE FORM OF A FINELY ATOMIZED MIST COMPRISING AN ELONGATE HOLLOW BARREL PORTION HAVING A LOWER END IN COMMUNICATION WITH A RESERVOIR OF SUCH LIQUID AND AN UPPER END OPEN TO ATMOSPHERE, A FLUID CHAMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, A PISTON WITHIN SAID FLUID CHAMBER, SAID PISTON HAVING AN UPPER LAND, A LOWER LAND AND A RADIAL FLUID PASSAGE BETWEEN SAID LANDS, A PLUNGER EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER SURFACE OF SID PISTON TO A POINT ABOVE SAID UPPER END OF SAID BARREL PORTION TO PROVIDE MEANS FOR DEPRESSING SAID PISTON, SAID PLUNGER CONTAINING A FLUID PASSAGE CONNECTING SAID RADIAL FLUID PASSAGE IN SAID PISTON TO A DISCHARGE NOZZLE ON SAID PLUNGER ABOVE SAID BARREL PORTION, A FIRST STOP MEANS DEFINING THE UPPER POSITION OF SAID PISTON, A SECOND STOP MEANS DEFINING THE LOWER POSITION OF SAID PISTON, RESILIENT MEANS URGING SAID PISTON UPWARDLY AGAINST SAID FIRST STOP MEANS, A FLUID BYPASS IN SAID FLUID CHAMBER HAVING ITS LOWER END IN VALVED COMMUNICATION WITH SAID LIQUID RESERVOIR AND ITS UPPER END TERMINATING BELOW SAID LOWER LAND OF SAID PISTON WHEN SAID PISTON IS IN ITS UPPER POSITION SUCH THAT NO FLUID CAN PASS SAID PISTON WHEN SAID PISTON IS IN AN UPPER POSITION, SAID FLUID BYPASS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RADIAL FLUID PASSAGE IN SAID PISTON WHEN SAID PISTON IS DEPRESSED TO CAUSE SUCH FLUID TO FLOW UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PLUNGER TO SAID DISCHARGE NOZZLE, AND A VALVE BETWEEN SAID LOWER END OF SAID FLUID BYPASS AND SAID LIQUID RESERVOIR PREVENTING RETURN FLOW OF LIQUID FROM SAID FLUID CHAMBER TO SAID RESERVOIR BUT ALLOWING FORWARD FLOW PAST SAID VALVE. 